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OTOY announces “Render the Metaverse” Month 2 contest winners

Topics: OctaneRender, Company News
Jul. 8, 2015 (9 years)

OTOY is pleased to announce the three winning submissions for the second month of the “Render the Metaverse” virtual reality art contest, along with commentary from our panel of judges. Congratulations to the winners and all those who participated!

The third and final month of the contest is now open! Up until 11:59 PST this July 26, artists can submit their stunning panoramic VR scenes for a chance to win up to $10,000 in prize money this period, and a shot at the grand prize: an additional $25,000!

As a reminder, to help fuel even more creativity, OTOY is pleased to provide OctaneVR, the free, production tool for cinematic virtual reality, and our professional-grade OctaneRender, both of which give artists the ability to create stunning VR scenes that you can then submit to OTOY’s OctaneRender Cloud to quickly render in the cloud for free. OctaneRender Cloud provides much faster cloud-based GPU rendering using up to 25x the computation power of local rendering to produce rendered scenes in fractions of the time, making it easier than ever to create and render spectacular VR scenes. So what are you waiting for? Now’s your chance to bring your creativity to life in VR for fame and fortune!

We look forward to the third and final month of entries! Good luck to all!

 

“Render the Metaverse” Virtual Reality Art Competition Second Month Winners

 

1. Mini Metaverse by Javier Leon

RTM1

Download the VR scene or test drive it in your browser here.

Description from artist: “This is a VR version of a miniature world.”

  • John Carmack: “Basically sticking your head inside a dollhouse is eye-stretching stereo, but there were so many charming touches everywhere you looked in this panorama; I didn’t even notice the NES hiding in the shadows until the third time I looked at it.”
  • Alex Ross: “This was a very charming concept. Having a close-up look at a miniature room environment feels fresh for where the VR realm can go.  It took a special eye for miniature furniture detail to get this right.”
  • Jules Urbach: “Beautiful. This scene plays with the viewer’s sense of scale, while wonderfully preserving a sense of realism and presence. I was completely transported through the looking glass.”

 

2. Neon Buddha by Maksim Loginov

RTM2

Download the VR scene or test drive it in your browser here.

Description from artist: N/A

  • John Carmack: “Accurate glossy reflections is one of the areas that still comes up short in real time rendering today. This image runs with it as a primary theme, really taking advantage of the ray traced rendering.”
  • Alex Ross: “This is the Electric Light Orchestra album I’d love to see done. It’s absolutely a beautiful graphic design of room structure and bright vivid colors. This environment transports me through time to a ‘70s album cover paradise.”
  • Jules Urbach: “The colors and lighting are lush and vivid, yet balanced and attenuated in just the right way to deliver a sense of Zen in VR. It made this entry stand out uniquely to me.”

 

3. two sides by Stefan Haberkorn

RTM3

Download the VR scene or test drive it in your browser here.

Description from artist: “This room describes two worlds in me. I am a living being like any animal, yet I live in the city and sit at work in front of computers. People are born into these two worlds: nature and technical structures. The German author “Erich Fromm” has inspired me a lot. I believe today that I could never choose between these two sides … www.visualimpression.de.”

  • John Carmack: “I’m not sure what is going on here, but it looks amazing!”
  • Alex Ross: “Rich in detail and concept, this design shows a transition between the grounded and the surreal. Sometimes the more time it takes you to study the details in a piece increases the appreciation of the imagination it took to create it.”
  • Jules Urbach: “I was impressed by the creativity and originality behind the composition of this scene. It came across as a truly novel and artful blending of the abstract and the real.”

 

Each judge has also provided a list of their top 10 submissions.

 

John Carmack’s Top 10:

    1. Stand Still
    2. Mini-Metaverse
    3. Treehouse Conference
    4. Two Sides
    5. The Metaverse of Wonderland
    6. Planet Aurora – Daytime
    7. Pilgrim Day
    8. Space Garden
    9. Neon Buddha
    10. LAT_titudes

 

Alex Ross’ Top 10:

    1. Space Garden
    2. Neo Shinjuku Crossing
    3. Mini Metaverse
    4. Neon Buddha
    5. Mosquito Eyes
    6. My Portrait in the Metaverse
    7. House
    8. Two Sides
    9. Arrrgh
    10. Meta Giant

 

Jules Urbach’s Top 10:

    1. Mini Metaverse
    2. Stand Still
    3. Pilgrim Day
    4. The Metaverse of Wonderland
    5. Two Sides
    6. Meta Giant
    7. Neon Buddha
    8. The Tree of Life
    9. Planet Aurora – Nighttime
    10. The Arrival

 

For more information on the contest visit vr.otoy.com, and to see all of the entries visit the contest gallery at http://render.otoy.com/vr_gallery.php.